


Dance of red and steel

by Sashaya



Series: Roses for the Empress [1]
Category: Dishonored (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, F/F, First Meeting, Flirting, Murder, Pre-Relationship, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2016-07-09
Packaged: 2018-07-22 13:07:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7440424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sashaya/pseuds/Sashaya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love comes drenched in blood and with teeth sharp. It's a love story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dance of red and steel

**Author's Note:**

> **_Disclaimer:_** _I don't own any of the characters._

Karnaca is too hot and too bright no matter the time of the year. She paints target-marks on new people, stigmatized newcomers from around the world (from Dunwall where cold and darkness stays in your bones, nested carefully for eternity). 

Emily doesn’t mind, slides from shadow to shadow like they’re part of her. There’s vicious grace in her every move, a promise of violence in the curve of her smile. There’s a vision of blood, when she waves her hand around like she’s already drawn a knife. 

Anger and power simmers under her skin and people see it. They unconsciously shy away from her, their instincts screaming _danger_ and _death_. 

Some ignore it and Emily loves it, loves how easy it is to lure them in her trap. 

Emily jumps from roof to roof, uneasy and restless like a bird that’s been caged for too long. She’s on a prowl – a wolf dressed in sheep’s finest clothing. She’s a prefect bait.

Emily jumps down, places herself in the darkest corner of the street like a pawn on a chest-board. 

It’s ideal, she’s perfect and the Overseers cannot resist. They spot her easily, like she planned and back her up against the wall.

“Well, well” one of them speaks, surprisingly. He must be their leader because the rest doesn’t even step out of the line. “What do we have here? Are you lost, little lamb?”

Emily laughs because this line is so cheesy and lame, even weird books wouldn’t accept it. There’s real joy in her laugh, like in this moment – in a city she was forced to fled to, in a dark corner surrounded by enemies – she’s feeling alive. 

“What’s so funny, girl?” Overseer#1 asks and Emily almost doubles, laughing. She doesn’t only because she already has her blade in hand and it swings beautifully, easily taking his head off his shoulder.

“No more lame lines, please” Emily smiles widely and her disguise fades away easily, she turns their roles. The Overseers feel it, look ready to run even if they grab their weapons tighter. 

It’s fine. Emily likes a good chase, most predators do. 

It’s easy, it’s always easy after the first strike. The rest is a dance, graceless and bloody but a dance nonetheless. 

The fear in their eyes gives Emily this type of pleasure the empress shouldn’t feel. At least not because there’s a body by her feet, a body she put there herself. 

There are three more Overseers and Emily is smiling like she’s having fun, when she hears a whistle from above. 

They all turn, it’s an instinct and reflex and Emily hates herself for that. It could be a trap, she shouldn’t get so easily distracted. 

A woman dressed in red is standing on the roof and smiling widely. 

“Hey, there princess!” she calls and Emily grits her teeth. She’s an empress, not a princess, her title has power now. “You got yourself a nice dance”

Emily strikes when they’re still ogling the newcomer, she pierces their chests and cuts their heads off. Blood drips slowly from her blade, when she looks up again.

The woman is still standing there, relaxed and brave. Emily knows she’s facing another predator and it makes everything so much more exciting. 

Emily appears before the woman, who doesn’t even flinch but there’s something in her posture that tells Emily she was expecting that.

“You dance well, for a princessling” Emily sneers and the woman laughs. 

It feels good, even though Emily’s nerves are on fire. It never happened before, not here, not in Dunwall.

“Billie’s the name” the woman introduces herself, red lips stretched in a wide and honest smile. 

“Why are you telling me this?”

“So I’ll get an invite for another dance” Billie replies and moves.

Emily reacts too slowly and there’s red on her cheek.

Billie’s laugh disappears with her in a bright sun.

Emily leaves, relaxed and ready to face another day. Corvo waits in her room, watches her silently when she climbs through the window. 

He asks about the lip-print on her cheek and Emily laughs.

“It’s from a dance” she says between giggling. “A reminder to attend another one”


End file.
